University of Regina to host business boot-camp for veterans

August 16, 2019

In partnership with Prince’s Trust Canada, Enactus Regina and the Paul J. Hill School of Business, the University of Regina is proud to again host the Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur (POE) program this year. This week-long, business boot-camp provides veterans and transitioning members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) with a crash course in business essentials including; marketing, finance, staffing, accounting and other need-to-know business practices. Its goal is to help military members launch their second careers as entrepreneurs while creating positive economic and social impact in their communities.

The program begins Sunday, August 18 at the University of Regina campus and runs until Saturday, August 24.

The participants in this year’s POE program will come from across Canada armed with developed business ideas. Two budding entrepreneurs from Saskatchewan are set to attend, including Devin McKenna from Moose Jaw who spent 14 years with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He is looking to create an on-line business that specializes in selling latex-free products. He came up with the idea as a result of his wife’s anaphylactic allergy to latex.

“I am very excited and grateful for this opportunity to help me transition from the military to being an entrepreneur,” says McKenna.

Participants will receive classroom instruction, participate in networking events and mentorship forums with local entrepreneurs, and benefit from one-on-one coaching from University of Regina faculty members. Professors from the Hill School of Business volunteer their time and expertise to not only teach, but work directly with participants to help craft their business development plans.

“We are proud to continue our association with the POE program,” says Dr. Lisa Watson, Associate Professor in the Paul J. Hill School of Business and one of the faculty advisors for the program. “We condense a tremendous amount of information, instruction and coaching into a very short time. It is exciting to play a part in helping so many new business ideas grow and thrive as a result.”

This will mark the seventh year that the Hill School of Business and Enactus have hosted the POE boot camp. More than 100 graduates have completed the program. Graduates of the POE boot-camps from across Canada have gone on to launch businesses ranging from food trucks to home inspections, artisan bakeries to kite-surfing tours.

Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur (POE) combines three of The Prince of Wales’s lifelong interests of encouraging entrepreneurship, young people and support for the Canadian Armed Forces. A program of Prince’s Trust Canada, POE helps transitioning military and veterans and mentoring to build confidence and launch successful business. Supporters of the program include the Government of Canada, BDC, TD Bank, True Patriot Love Foundation, Sage Foundation, VIA Rail, Accenture and Lockheed Martin. The boot camp at University of Regina appreciates the leading support of Conexus Credit Union. princesoperationentrepreneur.ca

About Prince’s Trust Canada:

Prince’s Trust Canada is a registered national charity established in 2011 by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. Prince’s Trust Canada works to unlock the potential in three key areas: providing entrepreneurship training for veterans and transitioning Canadian Armed Forces members, helping young people build confidence through employability programs, and supporting Indigenous communities as they revitalize and protect their languages. princestrust.ca

About Enactus:

Enactus Regina is an entrepreneurship and social innovation club at the University of Regina that promotes conscious capitalism through community projects. As a student-driven organization, we empower youth to improve and build up their communities. In addition to this, we are connected to a global network of thousands of students, all while operating as an independent branch in Southern Saskatchewan, Canada.

About the University of Regina:

The University of Regina—with campuses located on Treaty 4 and Treaty 6 territories, the ancestral lands of the Cree, Saulteaux, Dakota, Lakota and Nakoda nations and the homeland of the Métis—is a comprehensive, mid-sized university that traces its roots back to the creation of Regina College in 1911. Today, more than 15,000 students study within the University’s 10 faculties, 25 academic departments/schools, 18 research centres and institutes, and three federated colleges (Campion College, First Nations University of Canada, and Luther College). The University of Regina has an established reputation for excellence and innovative programs that lead to undergraduate, master, and doctoral degrees.